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Got a question about a product or an account from a big-name online retailer that makes you want to speak directly to their customer service representative? What do you do first? Go to their website, of course. Can’t find a phone number there? Then you may do what seems like the next best thing and just type the company name into a search engine.

But the FTC warns consumers that it’s a mistake to assume that all toll-free numbers that pop up in a search are legitimate customer service lines. Some are run by scammers out to hijack your credit card number or install malware on your computer.

I recently spent a few days meeting many of our nation’s veterans at the annual VFW and Lady’s Auxiliary conferences in Pittsburgh. An estimated 12,000 delegates, dignitaries and guests convened in the Steel City, a little more than 100 years after the VFW was formally organized there by veterans of the Spanish-American war. This year’s convention included a speech by President Obama, workshops about veterans’ assistance, informational exhibits, a health fair, organizational business meetings and awards presentations.

The scam is called card cracking and it may start off innocently enough. You see a post on a social media site announcing a contest. Or maybe a webpage that claims to have a celebrity affiliation is offering a gift card giveaway.

The variations are endless, but here’s the tip-off that fraud is afoot. At some point, you’re asked for your bank account information, PIN number, or online banking credential. That’s when you can bank on the fact that those “innocent” offers aren’t what they’re cracked up to be.

Ever complete an online application to get the best rate on a loan? Or enter your email address on a website to learn more about colleges you’d like to attend? Getting products and information this way can be convenient and very fast. But the information you share may go through the hands of middlemen you may not know exist.

If you’re an OPM data breach victim, you probably know to look out for identity theft. But what about imposter scams? In the latest twist, imposters are pretending to be the FTC offering money to OPM data breach victims.

“No hay mal, que por bien no venga,” as we say in Spanish. There’s nothing bad through which good doesn’t come.

It’s an appropriate phrase to describe the FTC’s settlement with Centro Natural – a telemarketing company that the FTC says deceived and harassed Spanish-speaking people into paying debts they didn’t owe. Thanks to the settlement, announced recently, the company is now banned from telemarketing and debt collecting. It’s an important case, because fraud really does affect every community. The case also aligns with the FTC’s work on how debt collection and credit reporting issues affect Latino consumers.

The Department of Justice (DOJ) recently announced the extradition of six Nigerian nationals from South Africa to Mississippi to face a nine-count federal indictment for various Internet frauds. These six people join 15 others who were previously charged with, among other things, conspiracy to commit mail fraud, wire fraud, bank fraud, identity theft, and money laundering.

What were the scams? According to the indictment, the defendants found and reached out to their potential victims through online dating websites and work-at-home opportunities.